Biopesticides vs conventional synthetic pesticides: A multidimensional evaluation of impacts on agricultural productivity and environmental health
Weitao Wang, Sarah J. Knight, Yannan Zhou, Karin Müller, Jinshu Chi, Melanie Kah · 2026
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Description
Weitao Wang and five co-authors deliver a broad comparison of natural and synthetic farm pesticides, in this 2026 study. Synthetic pesticides protect crops well but harm the wider environment. Biopesticides, made from natural materials such as microbes and plant extracts, are promoted as gentler substitutes. Claims on both sides have run ahead of the evidence, since no study had weighed the two across many measures at once.
Pooling past research, the team compared pest control success, crop yield, farm revenue, and harms to wildlife, soil, and climate. Synthetics still performed slightly better on average, but the gap was small, and over thirty in a hundred studies found the natural option ahead. Wildlife deaths were markedly lower with biopesticides. The authors also map where research is thin, arguing that closing those gaps, rather than hype, is what will let safer products take a larger share of farming.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Weitao Wang, Sarah J. Knight, Yannan Zhou, Karin Müller, Jinshu Chi, Melanie Kah |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 48 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |